Aurora: Guardian of the Aurora Borealis
by guardian of star trek
Summary: Aurora has the fate of all the children resting on her shoulders, and the only guardians that will listen seem to be Tooth and Sandman. Can she really save the world- even if it involves killing a part of her friend? (SandmanxOC; better description inside! What's a Malum? Find out! Rated T because... Violence I guess?)
1. Trouble at the Pole

**Description:**  
For centuries, Aurora has been stationed to watch over the poles and keep an eye on the Malums of guardians- or the guardians' 'evil sides.' When Luck's Malum, the most powerful Malum of all, threatens to escape and come back to it's master, Aurora looks to the Big Five for help. Only Tooth and Sandman are willing to help this very confused and afraid guardian.

**Well, this is the first Rise of the Guardians story I've written, please leave a review and give me your honest opinion! Comments and questions also invited :)**

**(Sorry for bad writing, don't worry, the quality will get better!)**

* * *

**Trouble at the Pole**

"Sandman!" Aurora burst into the grand bedroom as Sandman woke abruptly from his sleep. He looked at her, arching his eyebrows curiously. "You aren't going to believe what I've just seen..." she said breathlessly.  
Sandman motioned his hand towards a chair, offering her a seat. She shook her head, "No, there's no time for that. Last night while I was watching over the poles, I noticed something happening." Sandman was listening intently, and nodded, pushing her continue. "Well, in the center of the ice caps- in Antarctica- I noticed something. I couldn't quite pinpoint it. I think, that perhaps, Luck's Malum is returning. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I had to go down and inspect."  
Sandman stood quickly, storming from the bedroom. Aurora followed behind, looking around nervously.  
"It's only a theory though. I've never had trouble with his Malum. I mean, I've had trouble with others- but it was quite different than this."  
Sandman turned, first creating an image of a plateau sort of structure with sand, then a hole breaking through it, followed by a question mark. Aurora nodded, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.  
"Yes, I'm pretty sure it's the same place where the Man on the Moon banished it." They both ran to a balcony, where Sandman created a cloud of sand, to which he stepped on. He motioned for Aurora to follow. She shook her head,  
"I could never go to a meeting with the Big Five-" Sandman put his hands on his hips, the edges of his lips turning upward into a small smile. Aurora returned the smile, then without saying anymore, followed Sandman onto his cloud. They traveled quickly and wordlessly, until they reached the place where the Big Five would soon be gathering. Sandman motioned for Aurora to stay put as he hurriedly went off to find North.  
Aurora laid back in the sand, and instantly became sleepy. She was already tired from running around and trying to figure out what was going on, but the sand called her to close her eyes and dream. She couldn't, though, she was afraid to miss something important. Ever since Luck had his Malum extracted and banned, they put Aurora in charge of guarding him- they put her in charge over all the Malums. It was tiring, really, doing the job nobody else wanted to. She closed her eyes, and let the sand carry her off to a happier place in her mind.

"Aurora!" a gruff voice called as she was shook awake. She blinked hard, looking around the conference room. She looked over to her right, where Sandy sat, flashing her a smile and a thumbs up. "We would've woken you earlier, but Sandy insisted we let you sleep. Naptime, however, is over!" North sat on her other side, leading the conference. He turned his attention from Aurora, to the rest of the guardians.

"As you all know, our friend, Aurora, has warned us about Luck. She thinks his Malum might be trying to escape." all the guardians nodded solemnly.

"I-I _think_ it's coming back. I'm not entirely sure-"

"What, exactly, is a... Malum?" Jack Frost was sitting opposite of Aurora, next to the Tooth Fairy and Bunnymund. Aurora smiled weakly,

"I guess you don't have much experience with the souls of guardians, I don't expect you to understand. A Malum - in simpler terms- is the 'bad essence' of a guardian. Most guardians are able to handle their Malum just fine, but others are not. Luck was one of the guardians who had his Malum extracted and banished. His, however, was more dangerous than the others, so we had it put in a much more secure place.

"I'm afraid now it has somehow found a way to get out. I'm not really sure what to do, so that's why I contacted Sandman-" she looked over, catching his eye and giving a half smile, "I'm asking for your help, guardians." the Big Five sat in silence, creating an uncomfortable silence for Aurora.

"So..." Bunnymund finally said, "You're asking us to keep his Malum- what we put _you_ in charge of- under control?"

Aurora hesitated, her cheeks turning a deep shade of blue. "Well, his Malum is quite different from all the others. I've never really dealt with anything like it..."

"So? Figure something out! You are guardian over the Malums for petes sake!" Aurora opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She shrunk back into her seat.

"Bunnymund, don't you remember that time we helped you with Easter?" Tooth said, flashing a smile over at Aurora, "Or the time we helped North- or you helped me and Sandman!" Bunnymund folded his arms, "Being a guardian isn't about staying to yourself, it's about helping others! Doing everything for the children! Aurora has always done a great job, she's never asked for help or anything of the sort. So what if she's having trouble with Luck's Malum? As we all know, Luck is quite powerful- imagine how powerful his Malum is! What do you think will happen if it gets loose?" she was now standing, looking over everybody in the room, challenging them to answer.

"Luck will turn to Bad Luck." Jack said softly. Tooth nodded,

"Exactly. Then there will be no more Good Luck. That side of him will be gone. Can you imagine all the chaos?" Tooth walked around the table, placing her hand on Aurora's shoulder, "I, for one, want to help Aurora."

The rest of the guardians sat in silence. Sandman stood on his seat, placing a hand on her shoulder. Aurora glanced at Bunnymund, Jack and North, who all refused to move.

"Thank you, Tooth and Sandy, for helping Aurora. I expect you to still carry out your duties. Bunnymund and Jack, if you see anything that could possibly have to do with Luck's Malum, contact Aurora." North said, standing. "Meeting dismissed."

As the rest of the guardians left, Aurora thanked Tooth and Sandman.

"No problem, Aurora!" Tooth smiled, Sandman joining in.

"Would you mind if you and Sandy could meet me sometimes in my palace?" Aurora asked timidly.

"Of course! Then we could discuss how to keep that Malum under control! Sandy and I can hurry up our next round, and meet you in a few hours!" Tooth whizzed away, Sandman following. Aurora smiled, exiting North's factory.  
She watched as the rest of the guardians left, then looked up to the sky to see her own Aurora Borealis. Closing her eyes, she was suddenly lifted high into the atmosphere with her lights. She felt the presence of the lights surrounding her, and smiled. Soon, she would have some company besides her lights.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Reviews, faves and follows welcomed~**


	2. Playing With Sand

**Here it is! Chapter Two! Please review and comment! Honest opinions!**

* * *

**Playing With Sand**

Aurora sat in a small parlor in her miniscule castle, adjusting her tea cups and plates of biscuits. It had been a long time since she had company, and now, since Tooth and Sandman were visiting, she was having a bit of an anxiety attack.

She took a deep breath, standing and dragging her feet to the mirror. She gazed at her reflection, brushing her hand against her light blue skin. Her hair was a transparent sort of mix of hues- changing constantly from greens to blues to purples. Her iris' were solid black, and her face was slightly round. She was smaller than a normal person, standing only three feet tall. When humans used to walk among snow and ice, when Aurora visited them often, they thought she was a fairy. She had never thought of herself as beautiful, and despite her abnormalities, she really wasn't. She was average looking, and had she been human, would of blended in pretty of a sudden, she heard a loud thud of the knocker against her front door. She turned on her heel, and quickly raced to open the front door. Sandman was standing there, looking quite drowsy. As soon as he saw her, he perked up, waving warmly at her. Aurora waved back,"Hello, Sandman! I'm glad you came!" she faltered for a moment, "Will Tooth be here soon?" Sandman shook his head. Aurora stepped back, waving him in. She led him to the parlor, and offered him a cup of tea."So, Sandy..." she bit her lip, rubbing her thumb on the edge of the tea cup, "Do you- do you actually think I can do this? I mean, I feel kind of stupid for asking for help. I mean, I _am_ the Guardian of Malums and I just- I feel- Well-" she stopped, setting the cup down and burying her face in her hands. She hadn't meant to get so emotional- it was embarrassing. "Useless..." she felt Sandman's hand on her shoulder and looked up to see him with a serious expression. He shook his head, and gave a small thumbs up. Aurora gave a small half smiled and took his other hand,"You know, of all the guardians, you're the only one who ever pays attention to me. Thanks for being a good friend, Sandy." Aurora let go of his hand, reaching for her tea. Sandy settled down in the seat next to her. They sat in silence for a few moments before they heard another knock at the door."Tooth!" Aurora smiled, getting up once again to answer the door. Tooth whirled inside the door as soon as it was opened, her head barely touching the ceiling (which seemed very tall to Aurora). She swept down and gave Aurora a small hug."You're palace is so lovely! So cute!" she marveled as Aurora led her to the parlor."Thanks, Tooth!" she smiled, leading her into the small room. She closed the door behind her, sitting next to Sandy as Tooth chose a seat across from them. Tooth took a cup of the tea, giving Aurora a somewhat disgusted look."Don't worry, no lemon, sugar or anything of the sort. It's good for your teeth." Aurora assured. Tooth took a sip, then set the teeny cup down."So, Aurora, how are we going to stop that Malum?" Tooth said enthusiastically. Aurora bit her lip,"I really have no clue. It's like nothing I've ever seen. Most of the time, when a Malum gets free, I just take them and move them to a new location- Usually deeper within the dream realm. Luck's Malum, however, isn't in the dream realm. He's in a special sort of prison. I don't have contact with it because I can't get in. Nobody is supposed to be able to get in or out. For some reason, I can read his presence- I wasn't able to before. Something is happening and I don't know what.""Have you contacted Luck?" Tooth asked skeptically, "Guardians are always supposed to be able to contact their Malums, even if they are in a separate realm."Aurora shook her head, "You know nobody finds Luck, we only ever see him if we are 'lucky.' Trust me, I've tried to contact him." Aurora sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I just wish I knew what was going on. I've _never_ had trouble! I'm not ever sure if it's a Malum or not."Sandman tapped her shoulder, holding up a handful of sand."What?-"He let a string of the sand leak from his hand, forming a dream-bubble type shape above his head."Oh!" Tooth clapped excitedly."Wait, are you telling me you might be able to get to the Malum via dream?" Aurora perked up, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Then, maybe you can see what he wants!"Sandman nodded happily."Well, we'll have to wait a bit. I don't feel his presence at the moment- it kind of fades in and out. When I feel it again, you can send some of your dreamsand down the portal- If it'll travel through it."Tooth and Sandman nodded,"Sounds like a plan! Well, if you don't mind, I better run. Sandman will stay with you!" Tooth gave Aurora another small hug before shuffling out of the room. Aurora turned to look at Sandy,"Well, would you like me to show you to the portal site?"Sandman nodded, and they exited the small castle. Aurora took Sandman's hand, and he looked at her in confusion. Her cheeks turned dark for a moment,"Oh! It's not what you think!" she shook her head, "I want to show you how I travel." she closed her eyes, and in a few seconds, she could feel herself high in the Earth's atmosphere. She opened her eyes to look at Sandman, who seemed pretty stunned. Aurora laughed,"Isn't it magnificent up here?" Sandman nodded. She set her foot on a blanket of light, easily striding across it. She had to hold onto Sandman, who could not touch the light. She led him from beam to beam of light, then, squatted down gently."This is the best part!" she exchanged smiled with Sandy, then jumped. Expecting Sandman to be scared, she looked over to see quite the opposite. His round face sported an enormous smile, and as they got closer to Earth, he cushioned the fall with sand."Wasn't that wonderful? It never gets old!"Sandman created a sand picture of a globe, then a question mark."Oh! Well, we've traveled to the opposite side of the globe! We are now in the South Pole!" Sandman stood, leading Sandman across a barren glacier. As they came to a huge fissure, Aurora stopped Sandman. She pointed a petite hand down into the crevice,"This is it. At the bottom there is a huge portal into the Malum's prison. You can't get through it- Nothing physical can." she turned to look at Sandman, "But since your sand doesn't just exist on the physical plane, it might be able to get through." She sat down, and he sat next to her. They stared into the void for a long tapped her shoulder, then made an intricate looking flower out of sand. Aurora smiled,"Cute! I bet you can't make a..." she thought for a minute, "I bet you can't make a giraffe!"Sandman smiled, a look of mischief on his face. It only took him a few seconds to craft a realistic looking giraffe out of his sand. Aurora thought a moment longer.

"Could you make... Me?" she asked eagerly. Sandman rolled his eyes, and as easily as he had made the giraffe, he crafted a miniature version of Aurora.

"Wow!" she looked closer, taking in all the details, "Okay, okay! How about, you make yourself?" Sandman, once again, crafted a miniature out of sand. He set it between Aurora and the giraffe.

"Can you make them move?" she said quietly. In a matter of second, the giraffe was wobbling around on it's thin legs, inspecting the icy ground. The little Aurora and Sandman stood and faced each other. Sandy and Aurora watched quietly as they walked towards each other, then embraced. Aurora smiled,

"How cute!"

Then, unexpectedly, the little Sandman kissed Aurora on the cheek, took her hand, and began to walk away. Sandman quickly squashed the sand structures, looking up at Aurora. She tried to hide the blush creeping onto her face.

"Those sand miniatures sure have a mind of their own!" after a moment, Sandman smiled in agreement. They sat in silence for a bit longer, until Aurora felt her eyelids drooping. She glanced at Sandman, who was sound asleep.

_Might as well_. She thought, laying back on the ice. Hopefully, one of his good dreams would find her.

She turned on her side, and thought of Sandman. Why had Sandman reacted the way he did? They were just silly little miniature- it wasn't like it was real or anything.


	3. Through the Portal

_**Please**_** leave a review! I would like to know honest opinions, enjoy!**

* * *

**Through the Portal  
**

Aurora stood on the beach- golden sand and crystal blue waves in every direction. She looked up at the sky to see puffy white clouds and a gleaming sun. She smiled and closed her eyes, letting the sun's warmth take her in. She took a few more steps and opened her eyes to see the Big Five standing a bit away. Aurora looked around curiously, then took off sprinting towards them.

"Guys!" she smiled, waving pleasantly. They all looked up, smiling back."Hey, Aurora!" Tooth called, waving happily. Aurora laughed, running towards Tooth."Hi!""I don't usually like beaches, but I've got to say, this one is pretty nice!" North stood, stretching his back. Aurora felt pleasant- she felt accepted. It wasn't a feeling she felt felt a tug on her hand and looked down to see Sandman tugging on her hand. She smiled as he ushered her to the blue waves. They all splashed and swam, laughing and talking. It was the best she had ever of a sudden, she felt something smack against the back of her head. She turned to see Sandman holding a chunk of wet sand. She smiled,"Hey! Stop that!" Sandman took the chunk of sand, holding it behind his head, then lurched it at Aurora. She stumbled backwards, falling into the water. A moment later, she felt another clump of sand on her head. She turned to see Jack laughing coldly and joining in.

"A-alright guys... This isn't funny anymore!" she stumbled into the water as another clump of sand hit her, this time it had a rock lodged in it. Aurora tried to stand, but was bombarded by rocks and sand. Soon, her vision began to fade around the edges. She heard a high cold laugh, and looked up to see a black figure just before her vision went totally out.

* * *

Aurora jumped up and brushed sand from her face. She blinked hard and looked up to see Sandman jumping up and down, pointing into the crevice. He had a small ball of sand in his hand, poised to throw at Aurora stood, and instantly fell back down. She had never felt a  
Malum this powerful. Not even Luck's Malum was this powerful. She stood again, feeling very weak as she moved to the edge. Looking down, she noticed the darkness was swarming. Little beads of all the darkness came whipping up above the edge of the crevice."What is this?" Aurora spit out a clump of the black grit. Sandman looked at her horrified, and her heart dropped,"Sand?" she whispered. They both looked down, and all of a sudden, a figure came shooting from the darkness. Sandman and Aurora took a few steps back, arching their necks too see. A thin, pale figure garbed in all black descended on the opposite side of the crevice, staring cooly over at them."Ahh, Sandman! How nice to see you!" his voice sent shivers down Aurora's spine."Sand... Who is he?" she whispered. Sandman urged Aurora to go frantically, then lept up onto a cloud of his dream sand. The thin man backed up, and quickly hopped onto a cloud of his own sand. They each cast whips of sand towards each other, Sandman seeming more fierce than the thin man finally hit Sandman, sending him to the ground."Stop!" Aurora yelled, "_Stop!_" she felt her blood boiling, and felt herself being lifted above the crevice and to the other side. She held out her hands, and let the lights course between them."L-leave him alone. I don't know whose Malum you are- but I'm sending you back down there."He laughed again, "Stop it!" she forced the quiver from her voice, trying to sound tough."So you're _that_ guardian? Pretty unimportant if you ask me-""Stop! I'm the one who keeps darkness locked away!""As if. You just sit here, all day and all night, letting all the other guardians take the glory. What did they give you? A wasteland?""I told you to stop! I'm sending you back!" she felt the lights creeping over her skin, and took another step forward."Foolish girl! Do you even know who I am? I'm the Boogeyman! Pitch Black!"Aurora instantly lost all of her will to fight, her mouth dropped."Y-you're not Pitch Black! You can't be... You _feel_ like a Malum..."Pitch snorted, "Girl, I practically am one." he turned his back on her, and started advancing on Sandman."Leave him alone!" Aurora felt the fire re-ignite, and jumped up, lashing out towards Pitch with thick beams of her light. He tripped forward and hit the ground. Sandman took the advantage and lashed out with his sand."Sandman! Push him into the pit!" Sandman nodded, picking him up with hefty chords of sand, hurling him into the pit. Aurora ran to see him clinging onto one of the ledges. Her stomach lurched, and she fell to her knees. His and another Malum were emanating power from inside the pit. She stood, gritting her teeth._I have to finish this_. she thought, taking one last look at Sandman, then jumped into the pit herself, aiming for Pitch. She met him mid air as he shot up on his sand. Aurora reached for his throat, perching on his shoulders. She let her light pulse through her arms and into him. She felt him struggle and claw at her hands as they sunk deeper and deeper into the pit."You... Fool!" Pitch hissed as he finally ripped her off, turning and grabbing her throat with one hand, striking her face with another. Aurora yelled out as he hit her forehead and sheet of blood flowed into her eyes. Mustering all her strength, she concentrated all her power into one blow, hitting Pitch square in the neck. She heard a muffled cry, then felt a chilling cold as the world faded from view.

* * *

Aurora woke with a start, aching all over. She sat up stiffly, and turned to see Pitch laying at her side. For a moment, she was afraid the she had killed him, but relaxed once she noticed his chest falling and riding. She pushed herself up from a hard, cold, concrete floor."H-hello?" she called timidly, limping around the giant room. She turned to look in all directions, seeing nothing but darkness."Could this be?" she said quietly to herself."Well, well, well!" a voice boomed, making her jump. She felt the feeling of Malum stronger than before, and it took all she had just to stand."Show yourself!" she demanded weakly."Oh, I was planning on it." a voice said quietly in her ear from behind. She turned quickly, losing her balance and falling. An arm shot out, catching her and hoisting her up. "Oh my! Wouldn't want our little guardian to fall, now would we?" she looked up to see a familiar face, but very unfamiliar eyes."L-luck?" she stammered, and he smiled. Not a warm one, though. One full of malice and coldness. He was knelt down on the ground, trying to get to the same level she was on."Why of course. Not the Luck you are used to, though, no, I am better now! Now I have my physical body!""What? You reunited with your Malum? How?""Every night I could hear it cry out for me. I could feel it's sadness, it's loneliness. I just came back to check on it! Whenever I saw it, though, whenever I felt it through the portal, I just _had_ to join it. So, here I am."Aurora felt tears come to her eyes, "Luck... What have you done?"Luck put a finger to her lips, "Shh, don't be upset." Aurora pushed his hand away,"Stop that!" she connected her gaze with his, then broke it, "Alright then. How did Pitch get in- or out- and how did I get in? This prison was unbreakable!"He laughed his cruel laugh again, "My dear, for the Guardian of Malums you sure know little about this realm. When I reconnected myself with my Malum, the portal broke. I may now go back and forth through the physical world and this one as I please. The same goes for you!" he looked back at Pitch, "As for him, I felt pity for the man. I _almost_ let him go. I couldn't pass up a chance for you to come down here, though." he smiled, placing his hand on her cheek."You planned this?" Aurora said, outraged."Yes, and Pitch is just another pawn in my game." his eyes suddenly hinted sadness, "All I want is you, Aurora.""What is wrong with you?" Aurora tried pushing him away, "This isn't you! Since when have you ever felt _anything_ for me?""You know, I never have. When I became one with my Malum once more, I felt it instantly. I know why I'm lonely, Aurora I want _you_."  
Aurora scoffed. "Sure. Assuming you do, what are you going to do now?"He shrugged, "You can go, if you want. The portal is, after all, open."Aurora bit her lip, and Luck smiled, pulling her closer, "The problem is, you don't want to- do you?" Aurora said nothing, avoiding his intent stare. Unexpectedly, he leaned forward, kissing her softly. She expected the kiss to be angry, forceful and cold. It was the opposite though, warm and needy. He pulled back, rubbing his thumb along her jawline."You are so innocent. Like a little white lamb with no stain, so frail..." his words drifted off, then he snapped back into reality, "I'm... I'm evil. All I want to do is kill, to cause pain. You, you make me feel- whole." he pulled away from her, then stormed off into the darkness, leaving her sunk to the ground, her eyelids growing heavy._What is going on?_ she thought, burying her face in her hands. She felt like crying, _Why do I feel the same way as he does for me?_ Aurora shook her head, _No!_It was never said out loud, and she rarely thought about it, but Aurora had given her heart to Sandman. Luck- no, not Luck- this evil version of her friend couldn't have it. She was being stupid. She just wanted to go home.

_Please, come rescue me._ she thought sadly. She wanted to leave, but she couldn't do it by herself. She hated herself for this, but she wanted to stay with this man. She wanted to see what would happen.


	4. Beauty and the Beast: Part A

**Honest critiques, please!**

* * *

**Beauty and the Beast: Part A**

Aurora sat on the cold floor, shivering. Down through the portal, she could not muster her lights, so she was completely alone. At times, she would check on Pitch and listen to his breathing. It was the only thing she could do. At times, she would hear footsteps and turn only to see darkness.

She still felt very conflicted about her feelings. She had never been one of those girls to twist her skirts and giggle over boys- so why was she falling so fast for Luck? Maybe it was something about his Malum? It had to be! Usually, Luck was very distant and always had the air of wisdom about him.

This Luck, though, was very- pushy. He seemed arrogant and touchy- something Luck never was. Sure, he was handsome with his jet black hair, strong jaw and charming (albeit cold) smile. Aurora liked Sandman, though! Down here, all she could think about was Luck, though.

It had to be the prison that was altering her mind, her thoughts didn't even seem like her own. She crouched down, laying her head on Pitch's chest so she could hear his breath and heart breathing- hoping it would drown out the sadness.

"Thinking about me, are you?" a voice suddenly whispered.

Aurora sat up quickly to see Luck sitting opposite of Pitch's body.

"And since when did you become touchy-touchy with Pitch?" he taunted.

"Buzz off..." Aurora turned her back on him, folding her arms.

"Oh come on, Aurora. I know you're _crazy_ for me. This _is_ my realm, I know your every thought."

"This isn't _your_ realm!" Aurora said, "And I'm not crazy about you. Just... Confused..." she continued more quietly.

"Well, allow me to clear the confusion!" he stepped over Pitch and sat next to the small woman, placing a hand under her chin and guiding her lips to his. For a moment Aurora felt pure bliss, then pushed away.

"What are you doing?" Luck hissed, holding onto her hand.

Aurora glared at him, "I-I don't like this. I don't like _you_. My heart belongs to Sandman." Luck's face contorted coldly,

"Who says he feels the same way? Plus, why is it now you admit your feelings to yourself? Why did you put them away so long? Your feelings for me are so much more prominent, I can feel them!" he scooped her up in his arms, bridal style. She wanted to push away, but his warmth was enticing. He walked her through the darkness, sometimes chuckling to himself or murmuring under his breath.

"Luck..." Aurora said, looking up at him. She would regret what she was going to do. She had to know though, and this was the only way.

"What is it, my love?" he said, brushing her chromatic hair behind her ears.

"I want to see- I mean, well, I think maybe I might like you back..." her cheeks turned a deep blue as he looked down, smiling at her.

"I knew you would come to your senses!" he paused, faltering. She felt the Malum strongly and blacked out for a moment. When she regained consciousness after the few moments, she was in some sort of gloomy room with a big bed and a mirror opposite of it. She was on the bed, and as she glance upwards, noticed Luck standing on the opposite wall, watching intently.

"Where... Am I?" she asked cautiously.

"My little room of sanity. The only place where I can escape the dark." he said sadly, walking over and sitting next to her. Aurora glanced around, noticing the lack of doors or windows.

"How... How did we get in? How will we get out?"

"I do it with my mind. I created this place within my mind." he put his arms around her, gazing into her eyes, "You know, Aurora, you are beautiful."

She blushed deeply, averting her eyes.

"Aurora, why aren't you talking?" he said sadly, "I thought you _liked_ me. Aurora... You know I love you. You can tell me anything." he held her closer to himself, kissing the top of her head.

"It's just... A lot to take in. I mean, you drop into a portal and somebody you thought you knew just comes out of nowhere and says he loves you. It's just... Something I wasn't expecting..."

"Well, you love me too. And now, it's just you and me. Together..." he leaned in, kissing her lips. His kiss was full of sorrow and a need for love, and hers was a cry for help. Together, they let their emotions run together and disappear, only needing each other. He let his hand run through her silky hair, gently touching her shoulders. Overwhelmed with emotion, she pushed back, ending the kiss. He gave a weak smile,

"See, Aurora? I need love too. I may be bad, I may be a terrible person and I may hurt others but I still need love, I still need you." Aurora reached up to touch his face, pulling it closer so their noses were almost touching.

"I see..." she answered softly.

"Good and evil come together..." he whispered, leaning forward once more to give her a short kiss. They stood and he took her into his arms again.

"I-I can walk you know..." she said bashfully.

"Hush, my little angel..." he traced her lips with his thumb, then gently guided her eyes closed with his fingers. "I know you're tired. You need to rest." Aurora curled up against his chest, dozing off.

* * *

"Aurora! Are you okay?" Tooth ran up to the small woman, taking her up in her own arms.

"Tooth? Um... Yeah, I'm fine!" Aurora pushed away. "Wait... Is this a dream?" she turned to see Sandman shyly looking at her.

"Sandman!" she felt overjoyed as she ran to hug him, his embrace washing away all bad feelings. As she pulled away, she noticed his face looked oddly sad.

"What is it?" she said quietly. Sand crawled up into the air above his head, forming an outline of a man.

"Wait, is that... Luck?" I said even quieter. He nodded, then made another outline of Aurora. The figure then molded into a heart which cracked in half after a few seconds.

"Sandman..." she whispered, placing her hand on his face. He pushed it away, looking very hurt. "Sandman! You know I love you!" Sandman looked at her quickly, smiling halfway.

"I-I don't know what I'm doing with Luck. I'm so stupid, please forgive me. When I get out of this mess we can be together." she nodded reassuringly, "But for now, I have to play along. It's the only way I can convince him to let me go. He's very dangerous. Just, trust me Sandy." he nodded, giving Aurora his usual thumbs up. Aurora leaned forward, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek, then took his hand. They took a step forward.

"Tooth, do you think you could gather some 'soldiers' and be prepared by tomorrow night? I might have an idea on how to get Luck's Malum extracted once more. As for Pitch, I don't think he'll be too much of a bother. I can just leave him down here with the Malum." Tooth nodded,

"Of course I can! I have all faith in you!" she glanced at Sandman, "We better get out of here." Sandman and Aurora exchanged last glances.

"Good night, Sandman."

* * *

"I see you're awake..." Luck murmured quietly, "Finally. It's been a while."

Aurora sat up to see she was back in the room. Pitch was now there as well, sitting propped up against the wall. His hands and feet were bound, and he was glaring at Aurora and Luck.

"Oh. Yes- Hello love." she bent forward, giving him a quick kiss.

She looked at Pitch again, who was oddly quiet.

"Why are _you_ so quiet?" she said coldly.

"Whenever you thrust him through the portal, you ruptured some vital parts of his vocal chords. I'm afraid he won't be able to talk- at least for a while."

"Well, I guess that just leaves us more time to talk!" she flashed a smile at Luck, who seemed a bit skeptical.

"Why the certain change in mood, my love?"

Aurora shrugged. It was hard for her to keep her mind off of Sandman. She wasn't sure if Luck could really tell what was going on inside, but just to be sure she steered clear of all those thoughts in her mind. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself close. Luck smiled, all doubt leaving.

"Promise me you'll never leave. I don't want to be alone..." Luck said softly.

She paused, biting her lip, "Of- of course my love..."

She looked up to see Pitch glaring skeptically. She raised a finger to her lips, motioning for him to be quiet. She then pulled back from the hug, moving into a kiss.


End file.
